LATERAL LINK

If you’re like the majority of Biglaw associates, you probably don’t bother utilizing your firm’s formal mentorship program.  In the annual Career Center survey of Biglaw associates, 47% of respondents said associates don’t take advantage of it, 38% said they find it to be helpful, and 15% said their firms don’t even have a formal mentorship program.  Perhaps this scenario is all too familiar: a new associate arrives at the firm and is paired up with a more senior associate or partner in the same practice area or with similar interests; they go out to lunch; and despite a nice meeting, the new associate never hears from his or her mentor again.  Unfortunately, most formal mentorship programs at Biglaw firms, while well-meaning, tend to fall flat and can often leave mentees feeling disappointed and alone. 

So what’s the problem?  Time, for one.  Especially in this economy, attorneys find it challenging enough to take time out of their busy schedules to go out to lunch, let alone have time to take care of a more junior associate.  But mentoring doesn’t have to be a waste of time if attorneys on both ends of the mentoring relationship are actually willing and prepared.  The real problem is leaving your professional development up to your firm, which will far too often mismatch you with the wrong mentor.  Instead, take control of your career by choosing your own mentors (even if you already have a good mentoring relationship with your firm’s assigned mentor, it’s still beneficial to find additional mentors). 

The recruiters at Lateral Link teamed up with Norah Scott, an expert on professional development issues and an instructor and a founding faculty member of the Leadership Conservatory, to provide you with these mentoring tips. 

Start by thinking of yourself as your own company.  Then do your due diligence to determine who you would select to be on your personal board of directors. Here are some tips for finding the right types of mentors for your support network:

1) Build allies.  An ally can be anyone at your firm who is qualified to give you good career guidance, i.e., someone who has been there long enough to know the ropes, and to be politically astute and well-regarded by others.   Additionally, it certainly helps if you have done good work for that attorney so that he or she takes an interest in you and would be willing to “talk you up” to others and help advance your career in various ways.

2) Remember sponsors.  Like allies, you will want to do your best work for sponsors so they can recommend you to others.  However, the main difference between a sponsor and an ally is that you don’t ask someone to be your sponsor – they just are your sponsors.  And sometimes they can even be your sponsor without your knowledge.  For example, you might not realize you have a sponsor until you get recommended for an in-house position by a partner you worked with years ago.  Although you don’t go around actively seeking sponsors, it’s important to understand that they do exist, so that you are motivated to always do your best work for people in the hopes that you will get noticed and rewarded by them.

3) Get a confidant.  Lastly, you will need someone who you can tell anything to, and be absolutely sure that he or she won’t betray your confidence.  That’s why we don’t recommend making a coworker a confidant.  Rather, your confidant should be someone like your spouse or significant other, or a good law school friend who works at a different firm.

After you understand how the different types of mentoring roles can help your career, work on getting the right people to be your mentors.  Although it may take a few months for you to ask around for recommendations and to develop those relationships, it will be time well-spent as you take strategic steps toward your professional development.  And to get the most out of your mentoring relationships, make sure you set goals and share them with your mentors.  Don’t just expect your mentors to do all the talking; be prepared if they ask how they can help you.

Lastly, remember that mentorship is a dynamic process.  As you become more senior and your professional goals change, the people who fill the different types of mentoring roles may also change.  Then at some point in your career, when you have experienced the benefits of having the right mentors, you will hopefully be inspired to pay it forward and become a good mentor to others.